June 8, 2022Meaningful Learning Experiences and the Value of a College Degreeby Jessie L. Moore, Jason Hussar, Kaye Usry, and Peter FeltenA recent survey by the Center for Engaged Learning and the Elon University Poll explored the types of meaningful learning experiences college graduates had while in school and how college helped them develop skills they’re applying in their professional careers….
October 12, 2021Faculty Practices to Support Transfer Student Successby Peter FeltenNearly 40% of all US undergraduate students transfer between institutions at least once, and at some colleges and university more than half of all students have transferred (Shapiro et al. 2018). Many students successfully navigate transfer, earning their degrees at…
October 27, 2020Is College Worth It? Alumni Say High-Impact Experiences Make College Worthwhileby Jessie L. Moore, Peter Felten, Jason Husser, and Kaye UsryWhat is the value of an undergraduate education? Scholars, politicians, and families have debated that question for decades. Research consistently demonstrates the economic payoff of earning a degree, but is that enough to make college “worth it” for students? In…
August 16, 2019Can we teach curiosity?by Peter Felten Curiosity might be bad for cats, but it is essential for human learning. As Eleanor Duckworth notes, “What you do about what you don’t know is, in the final analysis, what determines what you will know” (The…
August 29, 2018Mentors play critical role in quality of college experience, new poll suggestsThe Elon University Poll, in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning, conducted a representative online survey of more than 4,000 Bachelor degree holders in the United States. The purpose of this survey was to study the extent of mentor…
July 19, 2018The heart of engaged learning: What students do and thinkby Peter FeltenHerbert Simon, one of the most influential American academics of the 20th century, succinctly described the micro-level of student engagement: “Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from what the student does and thinks. The teacher…
September 16, 2016Improvement Mattersby Peter Felten This post originally appeared as a NILOA Guest Viewpoint on the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment website. This Viewpoint summarizes important takeaways found in Chapter 6 of “The Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on What Matters Most”…
January 19, 2016Tuning the Scholarship of Teaching and Learningby Peter Felten Inspired by European initiatives and by calls across the United States for higher education to be more accountable for student learning, the American Historical Association has coordinated a nationwide, faculty-led project on Tuning the History Discipline in…
September 29, 2015Recommendations for practitioners and advocates of residential learning communities (part 1 of 2)by Peter Felten, Jessie L. Moore, and Jon Dooley In July 2015, Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning hosted a three-day think tank on residential learning communities that brought together a dozen scholars and practitioners. To learn more about the think…
August 11, 2015Recommendations for new research on residential colleges, learning communities, and other academic-residential partnershipsby Peter Felten, Jon Dooley, and Jessie L. Moore In July 2015, Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning hosted a three-day think tank on residential learning communities that brought together a dozen scholars and practitioners (participants are listed below). Learning communities…